“And the LORD said….let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech….Therefore is the name of it called Babel” (Genesis 11:6-9, KJV).

After the great flood in the time of Noah, people once again became wicked in the sight of God. Out of the pride of their hearts, they began to build a tower to heaven which became known as “Babel.” To prevent their prideful idolatry, God caused them to speak in different languages. Previously, “The whole earth was of one language, and of one speech” (Genesis 11:1). Without a common language, unity was disrupted and people were scattered upon the face of the earth. This was the origin of the different languages in the world. Read more

When filled with the Holy Ghost, Peter didn’t fall over, shake, babble, or foam at the mouth; but he spake in boldness, clarity, and power of faith in a resurrected Lord. What a wonderful blessing it is to experience the reality of Holy Spirit baptism which empowers and enables us to live a holy life.

In this issue of The Gospel Truth, I address the subject of speaking in tongues. It is a large subject and is so important that I increased the size of the paper. Even at that, there is much more that could be written. The Bible is very clear about what occurred on the day of Pentecost when the disciples spoke with tongues. They were able to preach in intelligible languages they had not previously known by a divine gift of the Spirit. The devil has perverted the simplicity of this experience and deceived millions of people into thinking that there is a heavenly language and that speaking/praying ecstatically with unintelligible speech is of the Holy Spirit. Read more

Thayer’s Greek Lexicon: Glossa: 1. The tongue, a member of the body, the organ of speech.
2. A tongue, i. e. the language used by a particular people in distinction from that of other nations.Read more

The Bible Is Our Guide

The phenomenon of ecstatic “tongues speaking,” praying in tongues, etc. is prevalent among Christians and non-Christians around the world. It is spreading rapidly in Christian movements in the name of the Holy Spirit. It is important that the Word of God be the guide and that all practices and doctrines be in conformity to the Bible—regardless of opinions, experiences and physical manifestations. “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16).Read more

There is a another false doctrine closely tied to the practice of unintelligible speaking. It is the practice of praying in tongues in what is called a “prayer language” or an “angelic language.” Some people practice this publicly and some teach it is a “private prayer language.” When people pray in this way, they are speaking words and making sounds which mean nothing to themselves or to the hearers.

Again, truth is not measured by someone’s experience but by the Word of God. When this practice is examined by scripture, it reveals that it is a concocted doctrine of man, not of God—for it is not scriptural.Read more